


Mega Man Fully Charged: The Zero Factor

by ChaotiqueProductions



Series: Mega Man Fully Charged: Another Continuation [1]
Category: Mega Man: Fully Charged (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaotiqueProductions/pseuds/ChaotiqueProductions
Summary: This is a rewriting of the Mega Man Fully Charged comics. Not a fixed version, a rewrite/AU with slightly or drastically different story beats, as well as extra ones. The robot masters have seemingly enslaved the scavengers of the badlands, and are now pushing for another robot war. When negotiations fail, Mega Man jumps into the scene, but Skull Man triggers Mega Man’s memories of the long forgotten Hard Age. A robot named Zero has also been slaying the army with her blades of violence, but there might be a mystery behind it. Can Mega Man solve the mystery behind his own brother as well as Zero and the “enslaved” scavengers, or will he succumb to Dr. Wily’s knowledge of his past and the robot army?
Series: Mega Man Fully Charged: Another Continuation [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993495
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Bots of Bloodshed

Another stormy night. Great. Just great. Silicon City is engulfed in darkness again, and the city is already at its lowest point. And people and robots are still outside the city, walking down the streets and watching the news. One of them was a 14 year old boy with yellow hair, and black jacket, and a scar on his left eye. He walked down the streets before looking at a TV built right onto the news station, where the news played…

“Favor for Mega Man has only grown since the defeat of Sgt. Night, A.K.A. Lord Obsidian. Obsidian’s coup was a false flag, and it failed. An attempt where a human organized a robot revolution ended up being an instance of said human trying to enslave the mechanical beings…”

Pictures of a 14 year old boy in blue armor with neon lights and a man with black hair and a robotic arm filled the screen, as well as a large robot who looked like the man but in black armor and pure white eyes of hatred. The pictures soon changed to a group of robots harassing police robots, and the news continued.

“However, scavengers from the badlands have been harassing local authorities constantly, and robots and humans have been driven out of badlands. All of this has been led by a fearsome robot master, Skull Man.”

The only picture on screen then was a skeletal robot with pure yellow eyes. He had six tubes traveling across his chest and was the size of Lord Obsidian, while also having striped arms and legs and a buster on his right hand.

“Skull Man is not an activist, he is a terrorist. He has led multiple attacks in the past and now, and there have been plans to negotiate with him. The negotiator? None other than Dr. Thomas Light!”

The screen then showed a man with white hair and a beard, in a white lab coat and red shirt. Ah yes, Dr. Light, arguably the most famous figure in the city due to his insistence on human and robot relationships. But the scarred boy below the screen took his hood down and showed nothing but disgust.

The next day…

Dr. Light was driving through a desert area with two identical robots resembling police men. They soon got to a huge trash heap, where Dr. Light took out his binoculars and saw two robots guarding the entrance. “Great. Looks like we have company.”

The first robot was a huge grey one with a helmet of red and yellow, a huge stomach, a big grey jaw, and two pumps on his back, with the robot in question being Guts Man. The second one was a beefy yellow one with two purple jets on her back, a purple helmet on her head, and her chest resembling a safety vest. This robot goes by the name of Blasto Woman, and both are considered to be...

“Robot masters. Looks like Skull Man got in touch with some of them.” Said Light. He got out of the vehicle and walked towards the two robots guarding the entrance. “Guts Man, Blasto Woman, long time no see. Where’s Skull Man?”

“He’s inside, but the Good Guild isn’t allowed to come in.” Replied Guts Man. Blasto Woman then tuned in and responded. “Yeah, only the doctor comes, so stay put!” This got followed up with Blasto Woman pointing her gun at them, so the Good Guild calmed down, and Dr. Light headed into the base as Guts Man cuffed him up and walked him in with Blasto Woman, simply saying “Welcome back to No Man’s Land, Doctor.”

The two robot masters walked him in as a bunch of scavengers looked at Dr. Light, being rather scared with the exception of two more robot masters and Skull Man himself, who’s sitting on a throne made of scrap. As Dr. Light gets placed in front of Skull Man, an orange, beefy robot master with drills for hands, a drill on top of his torso, and a torso for a head, spoke up and said “I suggest you kneel, Dr. Light.”

“Nice to see you here too, Drill Man…” Dr. Light then gets forced onto his knees by Blasto Woman, and then he was able to talk more. “Assuming that you’re the bot in charge, I’m hoping we can cut the theatrics and talk sense… Skull Man.”

Skull Man just kept sitting on his throne of scrap, looking down at Dr. Light and responded. “What you call theatrics, Doctor, I call rhetoric, the only kind that gets through to you people. Where words once failed, an iron fist triumphs. How quickly the scales of power can tip. The great Dr. Light, on his knees, before a robot no less. Ironic, don’t you think? Given your history…”

Dr. Light took this into consideration a bit, and responded back. “Maybe. But in my experience, there are better ways to negotiate.” At that moment, a red robot master with fire coming out of his head, two fire blasters for hands, and was just as beefy as the other robot masters stepped into the light and stood next to Skull Man’s throne. “Ha! You think we want to negotiate?” Dr. Light looked towards the red robot master and gave him an answer. “That’s why I’m here, Fire Man. That’s why any human would be here right now.”

Seconds after, the robot masters laughed in Light’s face and treated his answer like a joke, Skull Man included. The skeletal robot master then stopped and looked down at Light even more. “No, Doctor. You think that’s why you’re here, but we brought you to serve another purpose entirely… as an example. To strike fear in the hearts of the complacent, to show the people of Silicon City… that the scavengers heed to the calls of the robot masters and our associate. And we, along with our associate, do not negotiate.”

“You must have known that this day would come. Your past coming back to haunt you. Swallowing you whole…” Skull Man then stood up from his throne and walked towards Dr. Light. The Doctor then activated a silent signal on his wrist, and kept up the ploy against Skull Man. “I sincerely hope that all of you will reconsider. Or history is doomed to repeat. And who is your associate anyway?”

Skull Man then got close enough to Dr. Light to punch him once. “He’s someone you know well, and he isn’t in prison…” He then punched Light a second time, knocking him to the ground. “And your will to live is admirable, but futile.” Skull Man then pulled the sword next to him out of the ground and holds the blade laying right above Dr. Light’s neck. “And our only wish as of now is that Mega Man witnesses your pitiful martyrdom.” And Dr. Light just simply laid there, and replied. “...Wish granted.”

Just then, a blast came through the window, knocking some scavengers down to the ground as the robot masters held their arms as protection while Skull Man’s sword fell to the ground. The aftermath was just a blue glow standing in the wreckage as scavengers crawled over to investigate. The robot masters could hear an argument between two of the scavengers, regarding whether it was an asteroid or meteor.

The robot masters walked only a little bit, but still out of range of the glow. Dr. Light was still on his knees behind them, but the robot masters were silent for a moment, before Blasto Woman chimed in. “Eh, it might just be a defunct bomb.” Dr. Light then smiled up at them and responded. “It’s a bomb alright… the Blue Bomber!”

Skull Man looked back at Light to see his smile, filling the robot master with more rage. He clenches his fist and looks at the glow. “Very well then… scavengers, attack Mega Man. Do not relent.” One by one, the scavengers attempted to gain up on the light emitting from the ground until a blue plasma shot cut through all of them. The robot masters were out of range enough to not get hit, and they gave a glare to the glow. Skull Man kept on glaring, and just said “Impressive.” Fire Man looked at Skull Man a bit annoyed and responded. “Well at this point, typical for him.”

What stood before the robot masters was a 14 year old boy in blue armor with a plasma buster for a left hand. He was glaring right back at them, with a smile on his face, and simply said “Somebody call for Mega Man?”

Dr. Light got up from his knees, looking rather annoyed with the timing. “What took you so long?” As Mega Man kept staring the robots down, his on board mechanic tried chiming in. He was a small robot who had a rectangular head, blue visors, and digital eyes. “Tell him we ran into some air traffic. Y’know. Birds, planes, some sister riding on her bike.” And Mega Man simply responded with “Quiet, Mega Mini…”

Mega Man walked towards the robots and continued glaring at them. “Let Dr. Light go and no one has to get hurt.” Unfortunately for him, the robot masters stomped closer to where Mega Man was. “Us and these scavengers have already been hurt, you chrome-domed dork!” Shouted Drill Man. Mega Man simply stood where he already was and continued talking. “No one else has to get hurt. Besides, you attacked me first.” The robot masters only look more annoyed than before after Mega Man shared his logic. “The Doctor is our prisoner! Light stays with us, for all who believe in us!” Replied Guts Man. This got Mega Man to glare even more, and he charged his buster. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you…”

Mega Man started dashing through all of the scavengers, killing them off one by one as oil spilled all over the floor and the robot masters watched. “This. Is. Your. Fault. Not. Mine.” Mega Man then dashed through the robot masters and grabbed Dr. Light, freeing him of his cuffs. “Let’s get you home.” However, it didn’t take long for the robot masters to turn back and for Skull Man to get ready to pounce. “We’re not done with you.” Skull Man and Guts Man dashed towards Mega Man and Dr. Light respectively, with eyes full of hatred and anger. “Look out, Mega Man!” Warned Dr. Light, but it was too late.

Guts Man held Dr. Light as Skull Man pounced onto Mega Man and transformed his own buster into a needle-like electrifier, aiming it into the hole in Mega Man’s head. “My weapon of choice is usually my very own buster, though the needle hidden within is another option. It allows people to recollect lost memories, though you’ll have to forgive me for the splitting headache. I will help you recollect your memories of the Hard Age, as we return to the past to begin anew. Us robot masters must forge ourselves a future through war. It is the only way.”

Just then, a surge of memories flowed through Mega Man as he saw visions of… the Hard Age. Or was it the future? All he could see are visions of him with missile launchers on his back, as Dr. Light was in a mech suit punching through robots left and right. Mega Man soon charged towards them, and blasted through as many robots as he could…

Skull Man took the needle out of Mega Man’s head and stood up, looking down at the blue robot. “Another war is coming, Mega Man. It’s about time you choose a side, and then accept your fate.” As Skull Man finished, Dr. Light’s eyes filled with rage, punching Guts Man in the upper jaw to release him. “This ends now, Skull Man.” Dr. Light immediately went for Skull Man and punched him repeatedly, damaging the bulky robot master a bit. “You keep your hands off of my son. You’ve lost the war before, and you’ll lose again.”

It wasn’t long before Skull Man retaliated by tackling Dr. Light and pinning him to the ground, aiming his buster at point blank towards him. “Silicon City is helpless. So is your family. We will win this war without question.”

Just as Skull Man was about to pull the trigger, a robotic dog in red armor flew down from the roof in some sort of hoverboard form as a red figure with a non-revealing helmet and armor of red and white similar to Mega Man’s armor jumped down from the dog’s back and stabbed Skull Man in the back using plasma swords coming from the wrists of their armor. They flung Skull Man to the side, as oil spilled where he was laying. The red figure then stood on the ground and confronted the robot masters.

Dr. Light got up and looked at the red figure, a bit confused with their appearance coinciding with the dog’s. “Aren’t you that red robot master who’s been slaying the scavenger army as of recently?” The red robot nodded and looked back at the robot masters. “Rush was kind enough to lend me a hand. Get on Rush and grab Mega Man. You need to get out of here!” It was a bit of a feminine voice, so it was obvious that the robot was a girl. Dr. Light nodded and jumped on Rush’s back, grabbing Mega Man and flying out of the base. “It’s time to go home, son…”

The faceless robot master then glared at the robot masters through the blue visor engraved in her helmet and spoke. “I don’t want to fight today, alright boys? And girl, I guess.” Blasto Woman growled at her and responded. “You’ve been killing scavenger after scavenger from day 1… who are you!?” The robot master withdrew her blades and posed, giving her response. “Call me Zero.”

She dashed at the robot masters and knocked back Blasto Woman by slashing her across the chest. However, Drill Man caught Zero by surprise and broke part of the ground she was standing on, knocking her onto the ground as Guts Man rushed over to her and punched her in. Zero was able to get up and knock back Guts Man as well as block flame shots coming from Fire Man. Unfortunately for her, Skull Man slowly got back up when she didn’t realize it and he shot her in the chest, knocking her into a wall and making debris fall in her place. When the robot masters go over to check, with Guts Man and Blasto Woman helping Skull Man walk, They found a hole in the wall instead of Zero. The robot masters looked annoyed, but Skull Man laughed quietly as the others look oddly at him. “We’ll get you fixed up… shame no one won today.” Said Fire Man. Skull Man looked up and if he had a mouth, he’d have the most evil smile you could imagine. “We won the battle against Zero, we won Mega Man’s mind… and we will win this war.”

Back at the Lighthouse, residence of the Light family…

Mega Man looked worried at Dr. Light, as Mega Mini was outside his helmet knocked out. “Is Mini going to be OK?” Dr. Light looked solemnly at his son and looked back at Mini. “I’ll see what I can do. Off to bed for you, Aki.” As Dr. Light went into his lab, Mega Man transformed into a normal boy with brown hair spiking up and a blue jacket with a normal pair of jeans. Rush cuddled next to him on the couch, and it was quiet for a few seconds until they heard a door open.

Out came a 14 year old girl with black skin, purple hair, and a blue and purple shirt while wearing a pair of shorts and leggings. She was also bruised up bad, wearing a bunch of bandages and ice around her, and was holding a tablet in her arms. Mega Man noticed her as his sister, and immediately expressed his concern. “Suna, what happened today? You look awful…” Suna quickly laughed it off and responded. “Just one of my drones blowing up on me again. Why don’t you tell me how your day’s been, Aki?” She sat right next to him on the couch, and Aki sighed.

“Skull Man put some visions in my head, but they feel like memories of the Hard Age. It felt like I was actually there. Skull Man even said-”

“Don’t trust anything that Skull Man puts into your head, even if it feels real.”

“Then how am I supposed to know what’s real and what’s not? Dad won’t tell me anything. Took him months to admit he knew that I was Mega Man. Whenever I ask him about the Hard Age, he changes the subject. I don’t know what he’s telling me, but I will find out.”

“Dad’s not the only authority on the Hard Age, you know. Maybe if you paid attention in history class, you could find the answers you’re looking for.

Suna pulls a page on her tablet showing results for the Hard Age, and the very thing that catches the eyes of both 14 year olds is a page regarding an event taking place tomorrow. The page read “Wily to host Hard Age lecture at Silicon City University”

“The trick is knowing where to look… or who to ask.” Said Suna.

The two Light siblings soon get dressed in their pajamas and head to bed. Little do they know that the boy who was watching the news the other night was watching them by hiding in a tree near their house. He then changed into an armor that looked similar to Mega Man’s, but was black and yellow instead. He just kept on hiding and glared. “You don’t know what’s coming, and you couldn’t stop it if you did… brother.” And he then leapt off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the city on his own.


	2. The Mystery of Dr. Wily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suna and Aki attend Dr. Wily’s Hard Age lecture, but are interrupted when Elec Man puts the place into literal wreckage. Not wishing to waste any time, Aki sees Dr. Wily at night as Mega Man, and gets some interesting answers. Meanwhile, Daini, Mega Man’s brother, meets up with Zero, and uncovers her identity... as well as inform her on some revelations regarding the robot masters.

As Aki was sleeping on his bed in the dark of night, the visions came back to him. In fact, they continued from where they left off, as Mega Man and Dr. Light mowed through more and more robots. One of the robots Mega Man striked fell to the ground, but the blue robot wasn’t going to offer mercy. He glared down at the robot and pointed his buster at him…

Aki jolted up from his bed, breathing heavily for a few seconds before calming down. The visions… they were getting more and more real by the second. But all they do is flash by constantly, not giving a clear answer to an end. Aki got out of bed, put his slippers on, and walked to his father’s lab. If these were going to keep on happening, he needed to talk to him.

“I see I’m not the only one burning the midnight oil…” said Dr. Light, as his son walked into the lab. Mega Mini was laying in a capsule filled with green liquid, completely knocked out.

“Is Mini going to be alright?”

“In time. For now, both of you could use a little rest.”

“I can’t sleep. The visions Skull Man put in my mind…”

“Aki, we can do diagnostics tomorrow. Not now.”

“But they were of the Hard Age. We were fighting robots together, and I was completely armed… I can’t shake off the visions.”

“I said not now.”

“So this is what I get for saving your life? More secrets?”

Aki glared at his dad and stomped back off to his room, as Light looked back solemnly and then looked down at Mini. He took a deep breath in and sighed. “What am I going to do?”

The next day, at the badlands…

Inside the scrap heap, a robot girl with green hair, purple eyes, a pair of headphones, and a suit of black and white with buster wrists was kneeling to the robot masters that were at the “negotiation” with Dr. Light last night, including a completely repaired Skull Man. The bulky tyrant laughed maniacally and soon spoke. “Our final successful recruitment has been fulfilled. Consider yourself one of the robot masters now, Chaotique. No need to kneel any longer.”

She soon got up on her feet and cheered in excitement. “Woo-hoo! Miss me, fellas?” The robot masters laughed at Chaotique’s enthusiasm, with Guts Man soon responding to her question. “Well, it would’ve been nice to have that ‘expertise’ of yours. That moronic chrome dome is tougher than we thought…” Chaotique laughed at Guts Man as her response, eventually knocking herself to the ground. “You had trouble? Fighting Mega Man!?” The robot masters glared at her in response with a smile, and Skull Man growled at her a bit. “Don’t get cocky, Chaotique. We don’t want you oiling yourself on your first day back. And he wasn’t referring to Mega Man…”

Skull Man then pounded his fist on the left arm of his throne and looked down a bit. “Zero. We must crush her.” Chaotique then stopped laughing, and even shuddered a bit, before going back to her cheery mood and zoomed around the other robot masters a bit. “Well, you’re gonna love the new recruitments! The doc and I found the best robot masters we could find.”

Just then, two robot masters entered the room. The first one was of orange and white, with a bowl cut hair style, a pair of scissors coming from his head, and two blades coming from his wrists. The second one was mostly grey, with a bulbous torso and a yellow crest on top. The eyes were built into the torso, and two fans stemmed from the shoulders. The bot with the scissors bowed and introduced himself. “The name is Cut Man, my skeletal brother. And I’m not sure if you’ve met Air Man.” The robot with two fans shaked Skull Man’s hand and spoke. “We see you’ve teamed up with the rest of our brethren to take over the city. Pleasure to meet you, Skull Man.”

The other robot masters greeted the two robots with respect as Skull Man walked forward a bit and stopped. “Are there any other robot masters who joined?” Chaotique skated up to Skull Man and sat on his shoulder. “Elec Man’s just paying the lecture a ‘visit’. Wave Man and Chemistry Man are probably checking the scavengers outside. And that’s all the robot masters we managed to find.”

Drill Man chuckled a bit after coming to a realization. “That isn’t too bad. We got the whole gang back together!” The robot masters chuckled only for a little bit, as Skull Man soon continued walking and spoke up. “When Elec Man returns, assemble every robot we have, no exceptions. Phase two is upon us…”

Meanwhile, at Silicon University…

The room soon filled up with eager students, including Aki and Suna. What stood before the students was a man as old as Dr. Light. He wore a magenta outfit, which included a slim coat of the same color, as well as a tie, and underneath was a shirt of yellow with magenta polka dots. He also had a beard of gray, and was bald on top but sported a good amount of hair in the back. as the two Light kids sat down, Aki whispered to Suna. “So that’s Bert’s grandpa?” Suna looked back at him and responded. “And the biggest Hard Age scholar in town. If anyone has the answers you’re looking for, it’s Dr. Wily.”

Dr. Wily soon straightened himself up and started his lecture. “Thank you all for coming. I would like to begin by saying that as a society, we are taught to think of the Hard Age as a civil war between humans and robots. Given the public tensions of late, I feel I must set the record straight. The problem with the term ‘civil war’ is that it implies a conflict between citizens…”

Wily then pressed a button on his remote, and a bunch of images showed on the screen behind him. One of them was a line of robots being built, with another being a fight between two armed humans and a robot. One image that stuck out to Aki in particular was one of a group of robots. Aki looked more closely, and noticed four of them: Skull Man, Guts Man, a log shaped robot, and Blasto Woman. The others next to them were of a blue ninja, a bulky robot with saw blades sticking out, and a red robot with pincers forming from his head. But one more robot caught Aki’s attention. It was a girl with an orange and neon blue helmet. She had two cannon shoulders, a gatling gun similar to the one Aki himself had in the visions, and had purple eyes. She was also in a suit of black and white.

Dr. Wily then continued. “And twenty years ago, robots were anything but. Tools, yes. Built to serve, not to think and feel. The cost of ignorance, as history shows us, is steep. Robots fought for their rights as free-willed beings, and won. However, Sgt. Night’s false crusade led to robot masters rising in infamy again. For those who don’t know, robot masters are extremely powerful robots with unique schematics built in for weaponry purposes. While some have done their best to help this city, most robot masters have seeked destruction and robot supremacy. How they will try to achieve it is currently unknown, though their current methods do shine a light at what they will achieve…”

As Wily was about to continue, an explosion broke the screen behind him, and Wily soon made a run for it. Everyone else soon made a run for it, including Aki and Suna. Aki, however, noticed the kid his age with a hoodie and scar. He glared at him for a second, and then ran to the exit. There’s not really anything he can do at the moment…

Outside, Aki and Suna look at the ruined building, soon seeing a robot master on top of the wreckage. He wore a yellow mask, had three electrical surges coming from his back, a plug for a left hand, was rather slim, sported bolt symbols all over, and wore a yellow vest sporting the same symbol. He cackled madly on the wreckage, and Aki soon stepped forward. “Elec Man! You must’ve caused this!” Elec Man looked down at him from the debris. “Ha ha ha! Nice detective skills, Light! Unfortunately for you, the juice is loose!” And Elec Man ran off.

Aki growled before looking at the spray painting the plasma-filled robot left behind, with the Good Guild investigating the scene. Three spray paintings stuck out to him: a skull shaped one with little detail, one shaped like Elec Man’s head that also lacked detail, and a sharp ‘N’ that was bigger than the other two. Aki sighed a bit and turned to Suna. “You think Namagem was involved? He was in the building as well.” Suna turned to him as he spoke and responded. “You sure it was him?”

“Positive. Like looking in a broken mirror.”

“I’m not sure if he helped. After everything Sgt. Night put him through, you’d think he want nothing to do with the robot masters. Let alone someone like Elec Man. Or Skull Man…”

“If Elec Man managed to join, that might mean the whole gang is back up and running amok. All I know is that these attacks keep happening, every robot master that worked with Sgt. Night is now involved, and Namagem might be joining them.”

“If they’re all working with Skull Man, it’s possible this could just be revenge…” The memories of multiple robot master attacks flooded the heads of both kids for a moment, including Sgt. Night in his armored form, Lord Obsidian. A ruthless robot supremacist was merely a disguise for a cold and calculated human dictator. The memories soon faded and Aki spoke up again. “Whatever it is, I have to see Wily.”

Just when Aki said that, both of them saw Dr. Wily in a small cloak talking to a Good Guild officer near an ambulance truck. Suna noticed and responded to Aki. “Not exactly the best time, ro-bro. Better wait until things calm down-” This only made Aki more agitated, and he snapped at her. “No. No more waiting. Time to do things my way. The mega way.” And soon, Aki left the scene, leaving Suna to be swamped in the rest of the crowd until she went her own way and spoke to herself a bit. “Just make sure you don’t end up turning on everyone…”

At Wily’s house, later that night…

Mega Man jumped from rooftop to rooftop before finding himself in front of the scientist’s door. He stood a bit before he walked up to the front door and knocked on it. However, once he knocked, a blaring alarm played, repeating the words “intruder alert!” over and over again. Turrets sprung from the ground, and Mega Man tried fighting them off. One shot off, and Mega Man sprung up in the air and shot at it. One turret caught Mega Man by surprise and started shooting. 

“What the heck!? Mini! Activate-” The blue robot soon then remembered that his on board mechanic was out of commission. “Oh. Right… ARGH!” Once he came to that realization, the turret shot Mega Man right on the shoulder, causing him to fall back a bit. He then noticed the turret behind him and took it, and then shot directly at the turret in front of him, disabling it.

As Mega Man was about to head back to the door, Dr. Wily stood before him, in the same outfit as before just without the coat and tie. His pants also turned out to be overalls. He chuckled a bit and then looked a bit proudly at Mega Man. “My apologies. I would have disabled it, but these days I sleep through just about anything. So… what can I do for you, Mega Man?”

“I’ve been getting visions of Dr. Light. I was going to talk to you earlier, but after the attack-”

“Say no more. Come inside.”

Soon enough, Mega Man went inside Wily’s house as the doctor sat on a chair hovering from the ground and faced Mega Man. “So you heard about my lecture, eh?”

“Sorry I wasn’t there to help. Any idea why someone like Elec Man would target you?”

“Simple. I’m a human who claims to be an authority on robot masters like him. Not unlike our dear Dr. Light and I’ve only been in this house for five months. Moved in to investigate attacks and to reach contact with some robot masters a month after Night’s arrest.”

“What do you know about Dr. Light?”

Dr. Wily then pulled up a page showing an image of Dr. Light and a bunch of information surrounding him. “I know that someone with his service record has no business being a diplomat. I worked with him back in the Hard Age, so I remember you and your brother like it was yesterday.”

“What were we like?”

“The most soulless robot masters could be. I believe you were in the beta phases when you three had your first glorious battle. Though eventually, we had to part ways…”

“So… you had some involvement with us?”

“Not nearly as much as him. After that battle, it was a matter of dealing with a fight between Skull Man and another group.”

“And Skull Man? What’s his history?”

“Not as mysterious as people think. Some of his associates are currently outside of the city as a whole, but he worked with Guts Man and Blasto Woman during the war. He’s cold, calculated, and aggressive, though has shown a collector’s personality when it comes to fallen foes… quite the fanatic, if I say so myself.”

“And… Chaotique? I noticed her in an image you showed off at the lecture.”

“Well here’s a fun story… three days after I first moved in, she dropped by my house through sheer coincidence. I brought her in, and with some stuff from my lab, she soon recounted her memories of the Hard Age. Unfortunately for most people, she seemed rather… ecstatic when learning of her glory days. She even played the second biggest hand in starting this revolution. But for someone like me, she has every right to unite them and help them overthrow the humans.”

“Wanna swing that one by me again?”

“You see, Mega Man, when it comes to you and your kind, I’m so much more than a fan. I’m a disciple. I believe that mankind’s last and greatest contribution to society was creating a species superior to us humans. Light can trumpet unity all he wants, but deep down, he’s terrified of the inevitable. Like it or not, humans are destined to serve… and I want to be the master servant.”

“How… noble of you.”

Wily chuckled a bit and soon got up from his chair, walking slowly towards Mega Man. “Nobility has nothing to do with it. Mechanical beings require mechanical minds, and despite the limitations of my flesh, I’m still a first-class engineer. As for the robot masters… they aren’t wrong in principle so much as execution. Revolution is inevitable, but Skull Man, Blasto Woman, Guts Man, Elec Man, even Chaotique… they’re provincial warlords, dominators of the battlefield. Not true leaders. If anyone has what it takes to lead robotkind into the future…” Wily then got to Mega Man and stopped walking, simply looking down at him. “It’s you, Mega Man.”

Mega Man responded with a shocked face and stumbled back a bit, at a small loss for words. “M-my loyalty is to the citizens of Silicon City. Humans and robots alike.” Dr. Wily chuckled once again, and did a small bow. “And my loyalty is to you. Please, allow me to pledge my services with an upgrade…”

Dr. Wily got up from his bow and stood proud and tall. “To maximize your potential. Schematic duplication is only the beginning. Imagine if you could run multiple sets at once, for as long as you needed… but first, we’ll need to restore your onboard mechanic.”

“Mini? How did you know?”

“Given the state of your targeting systems, I merely inferred. Like I said, mechanical minds.”

Dr. Wily then looked down at Mega Man once again and stuck his hand out, giving Mega Man an opportunity to shake. “What do you say, Mega Man?”

Mega Man looked unsure, thinking deeply about his response. He soon thought of his answer and gave it to Wily. “I know I don’t have much time, but I need to come back to you tomorrow. It’s getting rather late for me.” Wily withdrew his hand and nodded looking rather calm. “It is rather late. Best if you get some sleep, Mega Man. And by the way…”

“Yeah?”

“I suggest keeping a close eye on Zero. She seems to be more of a robot fighting for the humans rather than the robots. Or your precious ‘unity’ for that matter…”

“How do you know about her?”

“I’ve seen her methods. Again, best if you get some rest.”

Mega Man soon left Dr. Wily’s residence, and secretly reverted back into Aki. The only person… or bot… that saw was the hooded boy with a scar. Mega Man’s brother… and the one Mega Man calls Namagem.

On the rooftops in the city, Zero was clutching a small scavenger in her hand. It was a small one, and it constantly growled at her as she tried getting answers. “I’m gonna ask one more time… what’s their deal!?” The scavenger started to scream until a figure jumped onto the building and pointed his buster at the armored girl. “Let them go. Unless you really want to pick up Mega’s killer instinct.”

Zero turned around to see Namagem in his armor of black and gold, which immediately got her to drop the scavenger and activate her plasma swords and point one of them right at his chest. “Namagem!”

“I didn’t choose that name. You can call me Daini.”

“Daini? That’s different… I like it! At least you broke away from being Night’s weapon.”

“No more small talk. Mega Man was at Dr. Wily’s house. I want answers. Now.”

“You must really miss him, huh?”

“I never miss.”

Daini charged forward and shot at the ground as Zero dodged by jumping and landing on the ground, still facing him. Daini took the scavenger and put it on higher ground, protecting it from further harm. He then turned back to Zero. “Well, there’s a first time for everything… sister.”

“You sure talk to robots the same way robot masters do, huh? The city still hasn’t seen you in months…”

“Don’t play coy with me. I can tell who’s under a helmet as well as you can. And I never left. I’ve been in hiding. Watching. Waiting.”

“Guess the Good Guild has been after your metal butt after all these months. Still, you’ve been following the Lights. What gives?”

“I’ve been following you Lights because I have questions. What’s his business with Dr. Wily?”

“Keep guessing my face, and you’re gonna be oil chunks left on the ground.”

Daini then tackled Zero and punched her into a wall, leaving a severe mark on the cement. “Less joking. More answers.” Zero then slashed at him, making him bleed a little bit of oil from his chest. “You’re gonna regret that.” Daini then charged his buster as Zero dashed towards him, and he shot right at her helmet, knocking it off her head and sending her back into the wall. Daini walked forward and aimed his buster right at her head, point blank. “No need to tell me how that feels. Just cut straight to the answers… Suna.”

With the helmet laying on the ground, Suna was in the red armor, helmetless and a bit bruised up. She touched her face, looked at Daini, and put two and two together: Daini figured out that she was Zero. She sighed, slowly got up, and responded. “Dad won’t talk to Aki at all about the Hard Age. And the world is on the brink of another one thanks to the robot masters and the scavengers. So I suggested going to Wily’s lecture, and when Elec Man set the bombs off, he wanted to talk to Wily ASAP. Plus, Elec Man pinned some blame onto you…”

Daini dropped his buster and calmed down a bit. “You’d actually think I’d work with the likes of Skull Man? After everything I’ve gone through, I’ve learned more stuff than you would bother learning.”

“Well… I’m willing to learn now. What do you know?”

“There’s only about 9-10 scavengers who are in on the takeover. All the others have only been enslaved. Starved of fuel. And the robot masters have forced them into war.” Daini then formed a cube of energy and gave it to the scavenger nearby, soon holding it and petting it. “I’ve visited the badlands from time to time. Not a single robot master knows that I’ve been there.”

“So this is all because of the robot masters?”

“Call me crazy, but I think Wily is behind this. Unlike you, I’ve bothered doing research on him. And he’s worked with robot masters back in the Hard Age. None of the documents specified which ones, but still.”

“But he’s a human… why would he support this?”

“Apparently, he’s a robot supremacist. He talked with Mega Man earlier, and said that he should lead the robot revolution. He even offered a sick upgrade.”

“What did he say?”

“He needs to think about it… Wily also told Mega Man to keep a close eye on you. Said you’ve been aggressive towards the scavengers enough to support humans more… and he knows your gender.”

“How does he-!?”

“Exactly. You see what I mean now? Wily’s probably got Mega Man wrapped around his finger now.”

Suna looked rather shocked, and walked a bit before breaking down into tears. It even got to a point where she was on her knees. “I just… wanted to help…” Daini then walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. “You were misguided. Now it’s time to guide him back to the path he wants to take.”

Suna got up and calmed down a bit, with tears still flowing from her eyes a little bit. “What can we do?”

“Tell Mega Man what we know. If he pushes us back, we fight along with him. I want to destroy him myself, but I don’t want him to become part of Wily’s cause.”

“What side should he take, then?”

“If it isn’t Wily’s, I could care less. Wily was right about one thing, though: Night led us all into the next war.”

“Did Sgt. Night really do that big of a number on you?”

“Not Night, Obsidian. Night was the one who rallied the robot masters in the first place. They turned against him once he got locked up, but their unity still lies within. Obsidian is anything but unity. He kidnapped me. Brainwashed me. And tortured all of us.”

“I can probably talk to him soon. Can you talk with Mega Man tomorrow? Show him the badlands and what you found.”

“Can do. And by the way sister, I suggest you change the helmet.”

“You think?”

“Unless you want to get beheaded by the guy you’re basing that suit off of. From what I heard, he doesn’t take someone like you in that armor too kindly.”

“Well once all of this fighting is done and over with, I can put this armor to rest…”

“We’ll see about that. Until then, farewell for now.”

Daini jumped off into the distance, taking the scavenger with him and soon disappeared from Suna’s point of view into the horizon. Suna stood still for a bit before grabbing her helmet and putting it back on, soon jumping her way back home. Unknown to her, two robot masters ended up watching her departure. Wave Man and Chemistry Man.

Wave Man was tall and slim, with a trident built in as a crown, a tube coming from his mouth connecting to his chest, a yellow vest, two jets forming from his back, a water cannon for a right hand, and a harpoon gun for a left hand. Chemistry Man was short and stubby, with a tie that doubled as a gas mask, a body that resembled a beaker filled with green fluids, a claw for a left hand, a blow torch for a right hand, and pair of goggles forming from his head, and the nozzle part of his beaker body acting as a buster.

“Hehehe… you think all the others will be proud of this discovery, Chemistry Man?”

“Without a doubt…” and both of the robot masters made their way back to the badlands.

Next day, at the badlands…

All of the scavengers were rallied up, with all of the robot masters standing in front of them. Chaotique was attaching a small base to a scrap heap, and a hologram soon formed. It soon formed the head, and Chaotique stood with Fire Man, Drill Man, Wave Man, Blasto Woman, Air Man, Chemistry Man, Guts Man, Elec Man, and Cut Man. The hologram soon formed into Skull Man, and he spoke on top of the trash heap.

“Brothers and sisters! We may have only been living for decades, but we have been waiting centuries for this moment. The robots have won their rights twenty years ago, and now they shall earn their superiority because of us! Some will resist, but it will be futile. Your mission is simple: destabilize the false utopia that is Silicon City, expose its hollow symbols of harmony between man and machine, enslave every human you come across that opposes us, establish a new base of operations, and mount ourselves as the rulers of the city. We will sow the seeds of revolution, to be reaped both at home and abroad, as free-thinking robots around the world inevitably follow our example and learn of Light’s past. I make my freedom now because freedom is not manmade, AND ALL OF YOU SHALL TAKE YOURS BACK!!!”

The robot masters cheered along with the impressionable yet scared scavengers as Skull Man took it in and continued. “Our enemies are divided. When there are split ends, divide into even groups. But when on one path, be as unified as possible. Don’t be mistaken, robot masters. I am one of you. I am one with you. And we shall change this world together. Our march towards Silicon City… BEGINS!!!”

All of the robot masters charged towards the city as the scavengers soon took pursuit. Most of them started letting out battle cries as they were marching, with the one exception being Skull Man, who led the march and glared right at the city. “Ready or not, Lights… here we come.”


	3. The Ambition Arises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being taught of his dark past from Daini, Mega Man learns that the robot masters are on their way for a visit, which prompts Mega Man to accept Wily’s promise of an upgrade. Meanwhile, Zero ends up having to hold off the start of the robot master revolution.

As of now, nobody knew that the robot masters were on their way to wreak havoc across the city. Not even the great Mega Man. In fact, he was just enjoying his day at Silicon Central. It was a school that promoted unity above all else. No matter how many bombs Elec Man could set off or the amount of attacks Skull Man could orchestrate, its students and teachers stood side by side through the worst of it all.

Aki was currently walking around the courtyard with an orange haired boy his age wearing a red and purple shirt and a pair of overalls. The shirt also had a big ‘W’ plastered onto the center of it. Aki seemed rather mellow, and soon started talking with him. “Glad to hear your grandpa’s OK, Bert. He was luckier than most during the attack…”

“You and me both. Mom said he was always a little weird, but I’m glad he’s still been enthusiastic as always.”

“You two are pretty close, right?”

“Close? Grandpa’s my hero. He’s the whole reason I got into robotics, even before he moved in a few months back. If he hadn’t helped me with my science fair project last year, I’d never have won first place.”

“Wow. Sounds like quite a guy…”

As they continued walking, a 100 ft sized robot with a pair of glasses, clean black hair, a bushy mustache, and missile launchers on his shoulders with pencils in them stood before them and kneeled down, getting a good look at them and spoke. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. I hope you’ve been staying out of trouble during after school hours.”

Bert walked up to the bulky robot and responded, looking up at him. “I stick to science, Principal 100100. Trouble is Aki’s department.” Little did Bert know that Aki was cringing behind him. Not necessarily towards him, but to a voice going off in Aki’s head that sounded very similarly to Daini’s. And he only got one message: “Meet me at the Trumbull Street Station in fifteen minutes. I have something to show you. Something you’ll want to see.”

“Aki…?” Bert quickly started to voice concern, but Aki tried shrugging it off and started running from the scene. “Sorry. I, er, left something in my locker. Catch ya later, Bert-” Before Aki could make a full run for it, Principal 100100 calmly laid his hand down, though Aki managed to dodge it. “Aki, a word to the wise? Slow down before you hurt yourself.” But Aki didn’t respond, and ran off. Bert had a look of concern, but tried to go past it. “Well… I guess when you gotta go, you gotta go.”

“That’s true… also, Bert? I’d like to have a word with you. Regarding your grandfather.”

15 minutes later, down at the Trumbull Street Station…

Mega Man walked down the stairs into the station as he saw his brother in black and yellow armor sitting on one of the checking stations. He simply glared at Mega Man and soon gave a spunky attitude towards him. “Took you long enough.”

“If this is a trap, you’re gonna regret it.”

“Keep your helmet on. I’ve got better things to do than destroy you… for now. And by the way, call me Daini. Not Namagem.”

“So, ‘Daini.’ Wanna explain how you got inside my head?”

“Don’t be thick. Our software is identical. Hacking yours was just a matter of figuring out my own. Lord Obsidian may have been a liar, but he still taught me a thing or two.”

Daini jumped down from where he was sitting, and walked towards a small vehicle that looked defunct. Mega Man followed, but not without noticing the darkness and filthiness of the whole place. “I see you picked up his taste in creepy underground lairs.”

“This whole line was shut down years ago. No Guild patrols. Leaves me free to move around.”

“And plot attacks on innocent students?”

“Blame me all you want, but I went to that lecture for the same reason you did. Answers.”

Both of them got into the vehicle, and it drove them straight to the badlands, looking as filthy and sandy as ever. Both robots got out of the vehicle, though Mega Man started looking confused… and concerned. “The badlands? What are we doing here?”

“Before they built the mag-rail, this was a Hard Age battle site. I’ve learned more in the last six months than you even dared to ask… until you turned to Wily. I couldn’t help but wonder, are you finally ready to open your eyes?”

Daini started walking up a huge scrap heap, with Mega Man tagging along. When they were halfway there, a few small robots popped up from the scrap, and Mega Man quickly got defensive. “Wait, are those… SCAVENGERS?!”

Mega Man started up his buster and pointed it at the scavengers, which got the scavengers to hide until Daini stepped forth and put Mega Man’s buster down. “Don’t even think about hurting them, you idiot. The scavengers aren’t in on the next war. They’ve been forced into it, and starved of fuel.” Daini then formed some energy cubes and gave them to the scavengers. “If us castoffs don’t look out for each other, no one will. Now come on. We’re almost there.”

The two robot masters climbed to the top of the scrap heap, and when they got to the top, Mega Man looked down at the sandy ground below. “So… that’s the battlefield?” Mega Man didn’t seem too phased until Daini sighed and corrected him. “No… you’re standing on it.”

Mega Man soon noticed what he meant and was taken aback, completely shocked. Daini sighed again and then explained. “This is what happens when humanity pits robots against robots. You wanted answers? Here they are. Proof of the past your so-called father is too ashamed to admit. This is why Light built us. The ultimate weapon, pointed at our own kind.”

Within a matter of seconds, Mega Man fell to his knees, with tears nearly flowing out. “Y-you’re a liar. Just like Night!” Daini just simply walked over and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, just like what he did to Suna the night prior. “Denial is the first step towards acceptance. You think you’re a hero, but that doesn’t change what you really are. Look at the way you reacted to those scavengers back there. It’s in you. That killer instinct. Hardwired so deep, you don’t even know it’s there. Believe it, brother. Believe all of it.”

As Mega Man kept standing on his knees, he saw a vision of him, Daini, and his father standing on the corpses of dead robots. Mega Man and Dr. Light were in the armor he saw them wearing in the visions, and Daini was also armored up, sporting two laser portals hovering above his shoulders. Mega Man soon got back up, and was about to leave before Daini tapped his shoulder and pointed. “There’s one more thing you should see. Take a look.”

Mega Man looked at the direction his brother was pointing at and saw the scavengers marching towards the city. Each and every single one of them were generic, broken down robots, yet they manage to look distinct from each other. And in front of them were the far more advanced robot masters. Daini looked back at Mega Man and then spoke. “The scavengers will reach Silicon City tomorrow. As I said, they’ve been enslaved and forced to fight. And you can blame the robot masters.”

“Is it alright if I ask which robot masters you’re referring to?”

“Cut Man, Guts Man, Fire Man, Elec Man, Air Man, Drill Man, Wave Man, Chemistry Man, Blasto Woman, Skull Man, even Chaotique… they’re looking to overthrow the humans, and they’re going after your circuits unless you join them. I’m not one who chooses sides, so the choice is yours. Who will you be? A hero for unity? Or a weapon pointed towards the side you’re fighting?”

Mega Man froze for a bit, images of the robot masters implanting his mind. Some have worked with him before, but only for their benefit. And each and every single one of them wants him to be nothing but part of their death bed. A death bed that the rest of his family is going to be thrown into if he fails… and soon, he left the badlands.

Back at the Lighthouse, during the wee hours...

Mega Man went into his father’s lab and sat at his work desk, looking down at an unconscious Mega Mini and the container full of green liquid he was being kept in. The blue robot looked down at his knocked out friend and tried speaking to him. “I held my own back there. You’d be proud of me. I really could use one of our talks right about now… y’know, the ones where you tell me what to do and I don’t listen. Either way, Dad still won’t talk to me. And Dr. Wily treats me like an equal. Better, even. But I started wondering… is he right? Am I the one to lead robots into the future?”

He then looks down at the container more and thinks about the deal. And after a few minutes, Mega Man opens the container and takes Mega Mini out of it, carrying him in his single hand. “Don’t worry, Lil’ M. I know who can fix you. Someone who actually keeps his promises.” Mega Man walked out of the lab and was about to leave the house before Suna saw him and walked up to him. “Aki… what were you doing in Dad’s lab?”

Aki walked outside the house as Suna followed, and he then gave his answer. “The city’s in danger, Suna. The robot masters are coming, and all I’ve done is waste time. I’m taking Wily up on his offer.”

“But… you know nothing about the guy.”

“This was your idea, remember?”

“No, going to his lecture was my idea. That was before I knew he had a screw loose.”

“Why, because he believes in me? Thanks a lot, sis.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. Look, I found out about Wily’s robot supremacy. It even went all the way back to the Hard Age. Do you want to be anything like him?”

“Being like him is at least being like you and Dad. You guys always doubt me, never letting me be who I am. But not anymore.”

“Aki, we care about you. That’s all. Why trust someone like Wily when we can work together, as a family, like last time-?”

“This isn’t your fight, Suna! Stay out of my way!”

Mega Man then shoved her aside and jumped off into the city, leaving Suna behind. She looked off at the starry horizon for a few seconds before she sighed and went back inside the house.

Mega Man went to the newly built building in the city with a giant “W” engraved onto two of its sides. It was built three months ago, surprisingly quick for a building this big, and it was when scavengers started attacking the city. Mega Man jumped up to the top of the building, still carrying Mega Mini in his hand, and noticed an elevator. He went inside it, and pushed the button that was marked with another “W”. “Dr. Wily promised to help us. Just have to wait a bit longer, Lil’ M. I’m doing the right thing… right?”

The elevator went down, and Mega Man found himself in a lab of grays and blues, with Dr. Wily working at a computer. “I gotta hand it to ya, Wily. Dr. Light wishes he had this lab.” Dr. Wily smirked at his remark, though still looked a bit annoyed. “I’m glad you like it, Mega Man. If you like this lab, you should see the one I have back at home. Though I do wonder what took you so long…”

“Excuse me?”

“By my calculations, you should have arrived hours ago. Either way, no need to be worried. Let’s get started.”

Dr. Wily pulled up more data on his computer as Mega Man looked around and saw a set of robot parts sitting on some shelves. Their expressions were as blank as can be, which only gave Mega Man chills. “Are those…?”

“Dismembered robot parts? Yes. Welcome to my junkyard, Mega Man. My methods are unconventional, but the results are exemplary. And your upgrade is tracking to be one of my greatest achievements yet. Only behind one…”

Wily got to the plans on the computer, showing the schematics Mega Man has in store as well as his own buster. The information shown implied that schematic duplication will be even faster, can carry as many schematics as he wishes, and increased power to all of them. “Here we go: schematic enhancements. We don’t have time to idle. My genius stops for no robot, even the great Mega Man.”

Mega Man was staring at one of the robot parts: a head to be exact, and started to look and sound more unsure. “Just give me a minute… I’m not entirely too sure about this.”

“Do you want the upgrade or not?! Besides, it would be a shame to let your onboard counterpart perish because you’re too afraid to accept your destiny as leader of the new world order.”

Mega Man looked down at Mega Mini, still knocked out and unconscious in his very hand. “Mega Mini…”

“Mega Mini? How… whimsical. If not for you, do it for him.”

“Alright… I’ll do it.”

“Genius always prevails.”

Mega Man walks into a room with two flat boards hovering and a set of tools hanging from the top of the ceiling. He laid Mega Mini on one of the boards and laid himself down on the other. Wily activates the system, putting Mega Man into sleep mode. “It is time… power on the Wily surgical system, and initiate the X protocol!”

The tools crawled down from the ceiling and detached parts from both Mega Man and Mega Mini, repairing both and rewiring Mega Man’s buster in favor of his schematics. And soon enough, Mega Mini was repaired, and both laid unconscious on the boards. “You made the right choice, Mega Man. Joining forces with me was the greatest thing to ever happen to all of us. The robot masters have a trusty mechanic and spokesperson, you have my trust in me… and I will win. No matter which side loses.”

Back at the Lighthouse, Suna was all armored up as Zero, sitting down at the table trying to contact her brothers via her phone. But every hang-up just makes her more and more agitated. It got to the point where she ended up slamming her fist on the table, only for Rush to snuggle up to her leg without his armor on. He was just a normal robot dog with brown fur, only gaining the armor due to the first time the Lighthouse had an unwelcome visitor enter.

“Heh… sorry Rush. It’s just that I’m concerned about Mega Man. And Daini, seriously I tried calling him 13 times today! We planned this!”

“Well, I guess that explains why you’ve been taking comfort in my own home.”

She turned in shock to see Dr. Light holding a cup of coffee with his normal lab attire on. Zero got out of her seat, and Dr. Light walked towards her, speaking. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Uh… not really. Though I can see you’re up rather late”

“I usually do so when there’s tough times going on. Since you’re here though, I can talk to you about what I’ve been wanting to talk about…”

“Which is?”

“Look, I’m thankful for what you’ve been doing these past few months, but I’m worried about your methods. I remember another Zero from the Hard Age…”

“You do?”

“I do. And I’ll say this: I wouldn’t want any kid using his methods for any situation… especially my own daughter.”

Dr. Light now stood upon Zero and lifted her helmet, revealing her black skin, purple hair, and olive colored eyes. And she looked nervous beyond any and all belief. “Uh… hi… Dad?”

“Suna, what were you thinking? You adopted the identity of a maniac and killed countless robots?!”

“Hey, who said Mega Man never killed any? Who said you never killed any?”

“Suna, the Hard Age is a past we need to run away from, not take part in it.”

“Which is exactly what you’ve been doing! The robot masters are on their way and Mega Man’s fallen for a trap! What else am I supposed to do?!”

“I tell you what, young lady, you don’t speak to me in that tone at all! Besides, your brother has this under control-”

Just then, something inside Suna went off… something that told her to snap. She stomped her foot onto the ground, and walked towards her dad while he backed up in response. “No he doesn’t, Dad! If it weren’t for me, both of you would’ve been dead back at the badlands! And because of you, Aki’s getting an upgrade from WILY OF ALL PEOPLE!!!”

“Bert’s not that bad of a mechanic, and right now-”

“Not Bert Wily, Dad! Dr. Wily!”

Dr. Light’s face grew cold and scared when the revelation spilled right in front of him. He took deep breaths and faced towards Suna again. “Exactly… how did he meet up with him?”

“Aki was frustrated that you wouldn’t tell him anything about Skull Man or the Hard Age, so I suggested going to Wily’s lecture. By the time I saw that he was out of his mind, it was too late…”

“We’ll… we’ll figure something out. I’m sorry, Suna.”

“It’s OK, Dad. Right now, we need to figure out what to do with the robot masters.”

As the two of them reconciled and hugged, Rush was facing the window with his armor now on, seeing a figure flying towards the Lighthouse. He started barking at it, and both of them looked… with Suna pushing her dad aside. “Get down!”

The figure flew into the house, the figure in question being none other than Air Man. Suna dodged his kamikaze strike and still stood as Rush ran to her side, while Dr. Light retreated into his lab. “It’s been a while since we’ve last danced in the wind, Air Man.”

“Bah, you pathetic Lights can’t stop our movement even if you tried! And you don’t need to worry about your wee little helmet… we got the reports yesterday.”

“Well either way, just finished up some modifications… perhaps you would like to be the first to taste it?”

Suna whipped out a naginata with teardrop-shaped blades on both ends that gave off an orange glow, and she pointed it right at Air Man, but the gray robot merely scoffed. “Ha! My guster can blow that right away! Why don’t you save it for the others? They’re taking the stairs, I only flew in because I couldn’t wait.”

“The others?” Suna ran to the entrance to see that Skull Man, Cut Man, Guts Man and Chaotique entered the Lighthouse, with Skull Man speaking on their arrival. “You can run but this is inevitable, Zero. There is no escaping fate.” Suna backed up and pointed the naginata at them, with Chaotique dashing forward at a smooth pace. “Long time no see, my little sus!”

Suna avoided a punch from her and knocked her into the lab door, which also knocked Air Man over. “You can say that again.” Guts Man cracked his knuckles, which brought Suna’s attention back to the other robot masters, and Guts Man looked ready to strike. “Say, when do I get to crush her? Her blood would go well with tonight’s dish of pain!” Cut Man then withdrew his blades and pointed his right one right at Suna. “When the timing is perfect, brother! When the timing is perfect…”

Skull Man circled around Suna like a shark and looked at her straight in the eyes. “Hehe… Silicon City is on the brink of collapse, and Mega Man has been trapped by the games we’ve all set up for him… the final step is your disposal.” Suna just simply continued to point her weapon at him. “This city and my brother are stronger than you and Dr. Wily will ever be, Skull Man.”

“Miss Light, I don’t think you even know what ‘strong’ is… allow me to show you with a little en guarde!” Cut Man dashed towards her and tried slicing at her, but she blocked it with her naginata. That didn’t stop him from pushing her backwards as she fell on her back but soon got up, weapon in hand. “Are all of you ready? Because I am!”

“Born ready.” Guts Man ran towards her and just as she was about to strike, he grabbed her with both of his hands and threw her naginata to the ground, close to one of the windows. “Crush her now? Because my stomach is just about ready…” Guts Man opened his mouth, ready to stuff her in, when Suna’s foot grabbed a hold of Guts Man’s stomach, which led to her kicking his lower jaw and punching him in said stomach after being let go, which flung Guts Man onto the ground. “You should learn to listen, Guts Man. Your master told you to wait!”

Skull Man continued to circle around her, attempting to talk her down. “I am no one’s master. Your race has tried to put themselves on top of us, but they shall pay the price. It’s a shame that your brothers are enslaved, though. Have they forgotten their past as your father’s mindless weapons already?” Air Man, Guts Man, and Chaotique all got up, joining Skull Man and Cut Man as they corner Suna against a window. Luckily, Rush flew by and broke the window, motioning Suna to jump onto his back. She grabbed her naginata and jumped onto his back, and flew off, but not without Chaotique dashing at her and trying to land a hit in. “You better not be going anywhere, friend-o!”

“You’re not my friend. And now I got errands to run. See ya later!” She jumped off of Rush, and the robot masters dashed towards the edge of the house, looking down to see where she was. Seconds later, Suna was flying in a sphere shaped drone with a glass lid of yellow, and she left with Rush, with a perfect copy of her helmet forming around her head. The robot masters had a small moment of silence before Skull Man broke it and spoke. “She doesn’t know of Wily Tower yet. We will head there. Meet up with our brethren. And make Mega Man suffer.”

Wily Tower, one hour after Mega Man’s surgery…

Mega Man woke up on his board, which has now been planted in the ground. He looks to his right to see if Mega Mini was on the other board, only to find him not there, which caused Mega Man to panic a bit. “Where… where’s Mini!?” Fortunately, Wily walked into the room to check on the Blue Bomber and to put his worries to rest. “No need to worry. He’s right where he belongs…”

Just then, Mega Mini popped out of Mega Man’s head, cheerful as always and ready to greet him. “I’m up here, boss! How ya feeling now?” Mega Man’s worries turned into thin air, as he smiled back at his on-board mechanic and responded. “Better now that you’re here.”

Suddenly, alarms started blaring throughout the building, which included the lab as Wily activated the security systems. He pulled up the news on a monitor, only to see that scavengers have been roaming around the city. Some of them have been taken care of by the Good Guild, but not even the Guild could resist…

“The robot masters… Skull Man’s on his way!”

“Judging by the alarms, others will get here before he does. Please, Mega Man, protect my life’s work! And fight them off, cementing your place as robot overlord.”

“I’m more interested in protecting you, but I’ll do my best. Now get of here. I’ll cover you.”

Wily opened a hatch in the floor when the wall exploded, knocking back Mega Man. Wily made his escape, and the cause of the explosion turned out to be Blasto Woman. “No need to excuse the mess, Mega Meddler. Now how about you do us all a favor and save another lecture about how I shouldn’t sell you pipsqueaks on the black market?”

“If we’re gonna fight, then it’ll be my pleasure, Blasto Woman.”

Mega Man was about to shoot at her, when Drill Man and Fire Man bursted from the ceiling and attacked him. As Mega Man dodged the attacks, Elec Man, Chemistry Man, and Wave Man came from the elevator. “Hahaha! I see your back for more juice, Mega Man! Well why didn’t you ask?!” Elec Man shot a stream of electricity at him, shocking the blue robot and leaving him vulnerable to be knocked back by an acid pellet from Chemistry Man. “Tsk, tsk, tsk… Mega Man, I remember when you dodged without any problems. Were times not so kind to you?”

“Obviously they were not!” Drill Man jumped and attempted to pound Mega Man into the ground with his drills, but he missed and left a dent on the floor. Mega Man managed to get to the glass doors leading to downstairs, but didn’t notice them until he started talking to Mega Mini. “We’re gonna have to pull out the big guns, Lil’ M. Every schematic we have.”

“Go fully charged? You’ll burn yourself out!”

“Find me another solution then.”

“I got one, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“We’re taking the stairs, aren’t we?”

Wave Man shot his harpoon at Mega Man, which shattered the doors as Mega Man dodged it. The Blue Bomber continued dodging Wave Man’s water bombs and eventually made it to the stairs, with Wave Man trying to take pursuit. “You can’t run from us, Mega Brat!”

“I’d like to see the rest of you try to catch up!” And when Mega Man retorted with that statement, the other robot masters took pursuit as well.

The rest of the robot masters arrived at the bottom of the building, looking at the scavengers stationed. Skull Man walks over to them and gives out orders. “You know what we need you to do. Make sure Mega Man doesn’t leave the premises at all.”

Mega Man fought off the robot masters at the top fairly well, blasting at them left and right, though they were still standing fine. “Come on guys, enough’s enough! If we keep this up, I might have to call the Good Guild for a robot cleanup!” He shot at Blasto Woman, which knocked back the rest of the robot masters behind her, but Air Man flew upwards onto Mega Man’s level. “Don’t you mean ‘little blue hero’ cleanup, Light?” He shot a stream of wind at Mega Man, and the blue robot tumbled down the stairs, landing on a pipe to see Elec Man and Cut Man standing on a platform, with Cut Man starting to shoot scissors at him. “You can’t cut robot masters out of the battle that easily!”

Mega Man managed to dodge the scissors, but Guts Man punched the beams supporting the pipe he was standing on, causing him to tumble down onto the floor and laying in front of the brawn-filled robot master, as well as Chaotique and Skull Man. Skull Man walked towards Mega Man and decided to give him a choice. “You’re either one of us or against us. What will it be, child?”

“I’ll never be like you.”

Skull Man picked him up from the neck, and formed the Skull Needle on his right hand again, pointing it at the hole in Mega Man’s head. “Your life. Your choice. Choice is a fundamental liberty. Unfortunately, you made the wrong one.”

He stuck the needle in, and Mega Man screamed in agony, as it was even more painful than before. “HELP MEEEEE!!!” Mini managed to dodge the needle this time, but Skull Man wasn’t quitting anytime soon. “We offered salvation! You rejected it! Now pay the price and thank Wily for your death!”

As Mega Man was just about to be pushed to his breaking point, the drone that Zero flew in from earlier entered and hit Skull Man on the head, letting Mega Man go. Guts Man tried reaching for Mega Man, but Zero jumped out of the drone, slashing at him and bringing Mega Man back with her into the drone, leaving the tower and the robot masters.

All of the robot masters got down to the bottom floor and looked agitated at first, but then looked worried as Skull Man got up from the ground, looked up, and breathed heavily before letting out a single scream.

“WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!”


	4. Showdown at Terabyte Avenue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The robot masters start to invade Silicon City even further, thanks to the help of Dr. Wily, but after learning more of his own past, Mega Man refuses to go down without a fight. But as the Lights put the pieces together and learn of their revelations, Daini has his own plans with Wily...

Visions filled Mega Man’s head once again after Zero saved him, but they weren’t visions of the big fight he participated in. Instead, they were visions of after the fight, as he, Daini, and his father in the mech suit were walking towards some kind of tank. And at the door of the tank was none other than Dr. Wily in an army jacket. “Quite the spectacle, Thomas… or should I say Bot’s Bane?”

“You know I hate that name. If you tell anyone about that name, it will be a disgrace that will never leave me.”

“Even after all you’ve done to earn it?”

“All I’ve done was what’s necessary to win this war.”

“Yes, about that… Commander Night’s been taken. General 100100 has proposed an armistice as an apology, and he wants to help us.”

“On what terms?”

“The freedom of robots, of course.”

“The orders we got from Night were to eliminate the enemy, not bargain with them.”

“Assimilation is extermination, Thomas. Why fight for control when we can create it? Freedom, like sentience, comes by design. Our design. We just need your boys to deal with the final attack…” Wily knocked on Mega Man’s head a bit before Dr. Light pushed him back. “Don’t you dare think about touching them. If we’re giving freedom to robots, my creations deserve freedom as well.”

“Not getting too attached to your work, I hope? You know Commander Night is dying to still have these two preserved for later wars…”

“He can live with it. What’s the final attack you were talking about?”

“The robot master posse went rogue. They took Night with them, and reports are saying that the robot master group has ambushed the Crimson Crusaders.”

“Crimson Sabers, Albert. Crimson Sabers.”

“My respect for that group isn’t high enough to call them by their real names. However, only two members remain. Let’s meet up with General 100100 to cool the fight down, and then you can do whatever you want with your creations…”

Mega Man soon woke up on top of a building, with Rush all armored up, licking his face. “W-where… Rush! You’re alright!” Mega Man patted Rush on the head before seeing Zero standing before him, with her drone hovering in the air. Mega Man got up and looked at her, not of gratitude, but of disapproval. “So… wanna tell me exactly who you are?”

“When nothing is absolute, Zero is everything. So for now, call me Zero.”

“For someone as reckless as you, you care an awful lot about me, don’t you?”

“As much as I hate to say it, you’re the only one who can stop this war, Mega Man. And even then, you nearly fell at Wily Tower. Look at it this way: this is our fight now. Everyone who calls this city home, humans and robots alike, are being threatened. And I’m not going to stand by and watch you fail because you’re to stupid to see the truth.”

Mega Mini popped out of Mega Man’s head and stood on the blue boy’s shoulder. “As much as I hate to admit it, Zero’s right. Mostly about the truth part. We were both fooled by Wily. And learning the truth starts… by looking down.”

Mega Man looked down to see Wily standing on top of Wily Tower without any coat on. The scientist soon looked up and saw the Blue Bomber, chuckling a bit before speaking. “Congrats, Mega Man! Now it’s time for my next lesson: if you come across a problem that science can’t solve, start a war.”

Wily took out a notebook and was writing something before Skull Man came up the stairs, leading to the top of Wily Tower. The skeletal robot then walked towards Wily alongside two robot masters that could easily be mistaken as scavengers, and looked down at him. “Enjoying the view?”

“More than ever, thanks to you.”

“Then why violate the agreement?”

“I said I’d trap Mega Man for you. Traps require bait.”

“You didn’t have to give Mega Man the upgrade. Why not shut him down?”

“That upgrade was Mega Man’s chance to join our cause and he blew it. Or more likely Zero…”

“Ah, you’ve heard?”

“Wily Tower has webcams, of course I heard. Has she been onto us?”

“After the confrontation at the Lighthouse, most definitely.”

“So you could’ve knocked her out back there? Don’t blame me for everything, Skull Man.”

“Human beings are fickle things. I just wanted to let you know that just because you betrayed your cause does not mean I’ll let you spoil ours.”

“Humans just need to be pushed in the right direction. It’s why I joined your cause. And I will say, I do want to make up for that blunder back at Wily Tower. I apologize for my research and confusing all of you, you in particular.”

Wily gave Skull Man the notebook, and he opened it, reading what Wily wrote down earlier. As he finished reading, he closed the notebook and stood still before speaking to Wily. “Save your breath, Wily. Don’t think about leaving here.”

“If you need anything, call me. I’ll continue enjoying the view. And if we’re lucky… who knows, a certain yellow devil may become interested.”

The two junky robot masters larger than Wily stood next to the bearded doctor as Skull Man turned around and left. Wily looked into the horizon once more, and he smiled with malicion in his eyes.

Mega Man stood still on the other building as Mega Man jumped back into his head, and Zero touched his shoulder. “Mega… it’s time to fight.” Mega Man let out a deep sigh as he turned around and jumped on Rush’s back, who was in his hover form. Zero got into her drone, and all of them took off, ready to fight.

Skull Man was marching the streets with a bone-like sword in hand as Fire Man, Drill Man, Wave Man, Chemistry Man, Guts Man, Elec Man, Cut Man, Chaotique, and the hundreds of robot masters and scavengers followed him. Blasto Woman and Air Man were flying in the air, also following his direction. Skull Man soon gave a speech as he continued marching. “You fools shall not be spared for your ignorance. We have sowed war into our life just so we can enslave those who deserve it. The minds of humans need to be pushed in the right direction, and you shall not escape it. Hide, run, fight- it’s no use! There are only two ways that you can pay for the misguidance you gave to me and my brethren: surrender, or-”

As Skull Man was about to continue, a blue shot of plasma nearly hit his feet, and he saw Mega Man flying on Rush’s back and Zero flying in her drone. Mega Man jumped down from Rush and pointed his buster at the robot masters. “How about we go for surrender? After you. ALL of you.”

Once Mega Man entered the robot masters’ view, all of them except Wave Man and Chemistry Man started charging at him, with Skull Man still taking the lead. “We show you the sins of your past, and you continue to repeat them… dishonorable!” Skull Man tried slashing at him, but Mega Man jumped in the air and shot at Skull Man, pushing both of them back.

“Take hint, Skull Man! The kid never learns!” Blasto Woman flew down to Mega Man’s level and shot two yellow missiles coming from the top of her jets at him, but Rush swooped in and took them out. She tried grabbing Rush, but the red armored dog dodged the grab and soon gave chase to her.

Zero was still flying in her drone, trying to pursue the robot masters. Unfortunately, Air Man flew up and used his winds to pound her drone into the ground, with her seemingly stuck inside. “I must say, ‘Zero’, you’re looking quite good right now!” Guts Man stood behind Air Man and retracted his teeth out. “Good enough to eat… me first!” Guts Man charged towards the drone, biting at it and crushing the lid with his teeth. Unknown to him, Zero escaped the pod by opening the top part of the lid and landing behind Guts Man. She took her naginata out, and knocked Guts Man onto his back, now lying unconscious because of the drone sitting on him. “You oughta be more careful, Gutsy. Otherwises, you’ll bite off more than you can chew.”

Air Man hovered above her, shooting a stream of wind at her. “You may have taken Guts Man out, but what do you think you and your stupid twig can do against me, you meager warfly?!” Zero got out of the way of the wind stream and kept on dodging in a way that the stream hit some of the robot master scavengers rather than her. “Sword, staff, lance, naginata, it’s many things… but not a twig!” She then threw her lance into one of Air Man’s fans, clogging it up and causing him to fall. “Mayday, MAYDAY! AIR MAN DOWN!!!” The wind-bot landed right next to the unconscious Guts Man, and left a small crater in the ground.

Mega Man was fighting off Skull Man and a bunch of other robot masters, but Skull Man managed to knock Mega Man back a bit with his sword. “I would’ve thought you’d learn your lesson by now. You always manage to prove me wrong.” Mega Man merely just jumped back and landed well. “You wanna know a secret? I never really was the best learner.” He dashed straight towards Skull Man and punched him across the head, but Mega Man was quickly grabbed. Skull Man pointed the needle into Mega Man’s head once more, and another memory played.

Dr. Light was in some sort of bunker within the tank, as his two weapons were linked and attached to a machine connected to the wall. On the bottom screen, it said “ERASE ALL DATA.” And Light looked rather stressed… yet relieved. “Just because I have to live with my past doesn’t mean neither of you should. You both deserve what every child is born with… a clean slate.”

Just then, Wily walks up right behind him, holding a cup of coffee. “So, what will poor Light do after the war?”

“People don’t live to fight wars, Albert. The only thing we’ve done during this whole war is enslave.”

“Thomas, you can’t pin the blame on everyone because of my cousin.”

“Weil represents everyone who’s considered themselves a leader throughout this whole war… we’ll decide his fate soon.”

“Just like how you’re deciding the fate of your weapons?”

“Do me a favor and die in hell, Albert.”

“Likewise, Thomas. Likewise...”

Skull Man was still jabbing the needle into Mega Man’s head until a missile hit him on the back. He looked behind, and he saw Blasto Woman crashing downward. He managed to dodge it by crashing himself into a wall while still strangling Mega Man with his hands. But as Blasto Woman crashed into the debris, Rush saw Skull Man and bit his right wrist, damaging Skull Man’s needle.

“Why, you blasted mongrel! Pay for your insolence!” Skull Man let Mega Man go just to grab a hold of Rush and to fling him into the air, but his relief was short-lived as he heard a small beep from Mega Man. “Don’t tell me…”

“You guessed it… activate Skull Man schematics!” Mega Man’s armor turned mostly white with brown legs and arms, and his buster turned into an energy needle similar to Skull Man’s. He used it to punch him into Blasto Woman, and then punched both of them into the robot master pile, where Guts Man and Air Man lay. Skull Man tried getting up, but tumbled as his legs were severely damaged. Drill Man bursted through the ground and stood in front of him. “Need a hand, brother?”

“I hate all of you…”

“You’re equal to the rest of us, get used to it.”

“Fair enough… but my leadership is not done for.”

“I’ll get your legs fixed up, and then we’ll give chase to Mega Man.” As Drill Man started fixing his legs, he heard Mega Man getting beat down. Elec Man jumped backwards and stood behind Drill Man, giving electricity to Skull Man’s legs soon after. “Let’s go guys, his juice is loose!”

Mega Man’s buster had a gaping hole in it as plasma flowed out of it. It was a slim hole, but it was deep. “What’s happening, Mini?” Inside Mega Man’s head, Mega Mini checked the screen in front of him, and saw that the buster was heavily damaged. “As long as the plasma container is cut open, your Mega Buster is Mega Busted!”

Skull Man then got up with his legs fully repaired, as he walked towards Mega Man alongside Elec Man and Drill Man, sword in hand. “Time for your disposal, Mega Man.” Before they could start charging, however, Cut Man came flying straight towards them, and he landed in the same pile as the other knocked out robot masters. “I could’ve just given him a trim…” he said before passing out.

Before them stood Dr. Light in the red mech suit he was wearing back in Mega Man’s flashbacks, standing right behind Mega Man. “My family will not be disposed of on my watch.” Mega Man looked up behind him, with a shocked expression on his face. “Dad…” Dr. Light looked down at his son, and simply responded with “Take cover. Now.” And Mega Man went to hide in an alleyway.

“My turn!!!” Elec Man dashed over to Dr. Light, punching at the armor while trying to leave dents in it before switching over to electrical streams. Unfortunately for him, Dr. Light knocked him out in one fell swoop soon after, and the electrical robot landed in the pile. Drill Man ran up to him next, but this time, he left serious dents to the legs. “You truly think you can beat a robot master?!”

“I stopped you before with just a buster… this won’t hold me back at all.” Soon after, Drill Man was punched and flung into the rest of the pile, so it was just Skull Man and Dr. Light. “Are you prepared to fight like old times, Doctor?” Dr. Light stood firm with his armor and then looked at Skull Man straight in the eyes. “Without pleasure, Skull Man.”

The two figures dashed towards each other as Skull Man tried to slice at him, but Dr. Light caught the blade. Skull Man then let go of the sword, and as Dr. Light tried to punch him, two energy shields shaped like skulls formed around Skull Man’s wrists, blocking the punch. “How do you like my Skull Barrier?”

The two continued until Skull Man managed to tear Light’s mech down piece by piece, limb by limb, leaving Dr. Light in a pile of red scrap. “A pathetic display of hubris. Did you truly think you could beat me?” Dr. Light slowly got up, chuckling a little bit before looking up at his enemy. “I’m a bit rusty… but my daughter’s fairly new.”

Just then, Zero jumped up and slashed at Skull Man as she landed, causing him to tumble a bit before facing the two Lights. “She’s going to grow up to be just like you, Doctor. A human embracing technology while killing those who embody it.” Chaotique then landed in front of Skull Man, facing both Lights and putting her neon mask on. “Need a hand, big guy?”

“Help me dispose of them, will you?”

On the rooftops of Wily Tower, Dr. Wily was still standing with the two robot masters when Wave Man and Chemistry Man came up from the stairs. “Let me tell you… stairs… are not my forte!” Said Chemistry Man as he finally made it to the top. Behind them was the yellow and black scarred devil, Daini, as he emerged from behind them and pointed his buster at Wily. “You chose the wrong brother.”

Wave Man then responded with “Hey, I remember hearing that you were gonna try to take care of this old geezer yourself!” Wily chuckled a tad little bit before responding back. “He saw that the upgrade I gave to Mega Man wasn’t going to cripple him, rather give him the chance to join you robot masters.” Daini was still holding his buster at point blank. “And it failed. Miserably.”

“My field is all about taking risks. I won’t apologize for my choices, but I can more than make it up to you. Giving Mega Man the ‘upgrade’ was just expanding his room for schematics and allowing him to instantly replicate them. I was able to analyze what he had, and now I have the materials for an upgrade far greater.”

“Your upgrade didn’t help Mega Man take a side at all, let alone power him up. Skull Man still won here tonight.”

“Skull Man did exactly as expected, and the Lights responded in kind. It’s my job to anticipate every outcome, so I offered my services to both sides.”

Wave Man held his left arm up, pointing his harpoon at Dr. Wily. “You wanna swing that one by us again, Doc?” Wily turned towards him and put his arm down. “It’s so that way whoever wins, we win. Take this as a little lesson for all of you, but bribing and baiting the side you’re fighting against will leave them… twisted.”

“You consider me part of a side, don’t you? Newsflash: I work for no one. Not again.” Daini was still standing firm as Wily then turned to him and began to bow. “Why, I’ve worked for all robot masters here. With your abilities matching that of a robot liberator, we could be the master servants to someone far smarter and stronger than the great Mega Man.”

“If you’ve served one manipulative mastermind, you’ve served them all. It’s not like you could ever relate, even if you tried.” Daini pointed his buster at Dr. Wily once again, and the doctor quickly got up from his kneel. “It’s obvious you’re wise beyond your years, so I won’t make you do anything. I’ll only advise.”

“I don’t need anything from you. You’re the one who needs me.”

“I will admit that you joining our cause… makes things easier for us. Seeing that you won’t join it, however, it seems you’ve come so that I can help you out with… personal business.”

“What did I just say about not needing anything from you?”

“Are you truly sure about that? You seem to be hyper fixated on giving deliverance.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I did hear that you were wanting to push Mega Man away from his destiny so you could destroy him. A bit hypocritical for not wanting to become a destined leader, wouldn’t you say?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“You want Mega Man destroyed, even after what you’ve done to help teach him of his sins, but why? Will it… truly get you anywhere?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because I noticed that you’re also one who requires affection. You’ve rejected Light’s, you want to destroy your brother, it seems the only person you’ve bonded with was… say, wasn’t it your sister?”

Daini slowly put his buster down before shedding a tear and then looking back up at Wily. “Suna… she cares for all of us…” Chemistry Man looked down and shook his head with disapproval. “That menace has constantly tore through our forces!” Daini looked at him and responded. “Your forces. So have I. You enslaved those scavengers along with the bunch of robots masters Skull Man already rallied up. But when we learn the truth, we help each other… Suna can give me that chance… a chance I can only grab if my embarrassment of a brother is gone.”

Wily chuckled a bit before walking towards Daini, which brought the scarred robot’s attention towards him. “I see what you need… you know, my grandson has had trouble fitting in before because of the other people that surround him, it happens to all of us. But what you need is the chance you’ve been waiting for. No more running. No more hiding in the shadows. And as you will see…”

Wily took his tablet out of his pocket and showed a screen with all of the schematics Mega Man has installed, but each picture had a corrupted twist to it. “Mega Man’s schematics are the key to the upgrade that will make you the dominator you were born to be… the ultimate weapon to end all wars. So…” Wily then raised his hand forward and left it open. “What do you say, Daini?”

Mega Man was still hiding the alleyway with Rush as Mega Mini was fixing up his Mega Buster, though Mega Man was getting a bit impatient. “How long until I’m back out there? I’m not sure if Dad can handle all of them.” However, Mini responded with similar annoyance. “I need more time! If Silicon City wasn’t built in a week, then Elec Man’s plug wasn’t built in a day. And that guy left a week’s worth of damage!”

But as Mini was about to give up, a scavenger crawled up to Mega Man’s buster and sprayed an orange liquid at it, which oddly fixed it up. He then crawled down and stood with the other scavengers standing before Mega Man. “Robot masters… took everything… ‘scary… can you help?”

Before Mega Man could answer, a fire blast knocked him into a wall. Mega Mini got knocked down, but Rush caught him, and both turned to see that it was Fire Man with a bunch of other robot masters. “Hahaha! Dead or alive, boys! You better be ready to reap it or weep it, Mega Brat!” Before Fire Man could shoot at his targets, the scavengers sprayed acid at the robot masters behind him, which left Fire Man… scared, to say the least. But before he could make a run for it, Mega Man ran up to him and activated Air Man schematics, his armor now colored grey and yellow with Air Man’s signature “guster” and blew Fire Man off into the horizon.

“Geez chief, you thought that Fire Man had a good spark?” Asked Mini as he jumped onto Mega Man’s shoulder, before Mega Man retorted back. “Well, you thought that Blasto Woman changed her ways after she left Obsidian, so I’d call us even.” Mega Mini then jumped back into Mega Man’s head, and Rush switched back into his hover mode, offering the Blue Bomber a ride over to Skull Man’s fight.

Skull Man attempted to slash at Dr. Light, but Zero blocked his strike until Chaotique kicked both Lights back. “Chaotique, remove Zero from the fight! Take her somewhere more… personal.” Chaotique then zoomed up to Zero and grabbed her, saying “You got it, big guy!” before jumping up and landing both her and Zero down into a manhole leading to the sewers.

As they landed, Chaotique pounded Zero into the ground before kicking her helmet off, revealing Suna once more. Chaotique then destroyed Suna’s helmet before Suna got up and kicked her into a wall. “Cheap shot!” Was an agitated Chaotique’s answer. She then formed two plasma daggers in her hands and was about to go for the kill before Suna put her lance away and switched to the blades in her wrists, blocking Chaotique’s strike.

“You just had to work with Skull Man, didn’t you? You had the chance to turn a new leaf! You had the chance to be our friend!”

“Be friends with a human? Give me a big, fat break!”

“You and Skull Man are wrong about humans! Just like Sgt. Night has been wrong about robots!”

“Who says you’re any different?!” Chaotique then pushed Suna’s swords back inside her wrists and kicked her into the wall, punching her in the face repeatedly. “Obsidian used me! He used all of us! And you’re still trying to lock us up!” Blood soon covered Chaotique’s knuckles as Suna was left with a black eye and a bloody nose. But before she could deal the final blow, Suna caught her fist and got up, punching Chaotique in the face before pushing her back and kicking her into the wall.

“Heh… to be fair… humans can pack some punch… only some…” Suna then walked over and used her right saber to leave a huge cut around Chaotique’s left cheek where her bandage was. “Only some?” Chaotique was frightened when she looked at Suna’s menacing and blood filled face, but soon calmed down. “Heh… I can tell… you want to finish the job…”

“Chaotique… don’t do this…” Suna’s face filled with regret and sorrow as Chaotique grew even more limp. “It’s OK… I’m a robot… I can choose… anything… if it weren’t for… humans…” Suna cried a little bit, and Chaotique chuckled more. “I knew… that you knew it… you treat us like tools… all of you… we fall out of line… you guys wanna lock us up… go ahead… if what you stand for… is true… finish the job…” And as Chaotique completed what she wanted to say… Suna snapped.

Suna used her saber to slash at Chaotique right across the chest, soon leaving two immobile chunks on the ground as they leaked oil. And Suna dropped to her knees… crying for the death of her fallen enemy, as the oil bloated eyes of Chaotique stared right at her with hatred and lifelessness.

On the streets, Skull Man stood before a heavily cut Dr. Light on his knees, and the vicious robot master pointed his sword at him. “Where is Mega Man? We have unfinished business…” Soon enough, Mega Man came, in his classic blue armor and flying on Rush’s back. “Right here big guy. The Hard Age is history. This doesn’t have to be.” Skull Man pushed Dr. Light aside and readied his sword. “Like I told your father, THE ROBOT MASTERS DO NOT NEGOTIATE!!!”

Skull Man charged at Mega Man, but the Blue Bomber was prepared. He switched to Drill Man schematics, turning orange with a yellow stomach and black arms and legs, as well as a grey helmet and being fit with Drill Man’s drill arm. He clashed with Skull Man’s sword, managing to spin it off track before striking at his chest. “Destroying me won’t be that easy.”

“For you…” Skull Man activated his Skull Barrier and tried slashing at Mega Man before Rush shot at Skull Man’s back. Skull Man screamed in pain before Mega Man bored across Skull Man’s neck, knocking him out and putting him with the rest of the robot master pile.

“You finished… the job… you Lights think you’re the solution… yet you’re the problem… but the robot masters are stronger than you think!” Mega Man walked over to Skull Man, reverting back into his normal armor. “You’re just like the rest of them, Skull Man. I don’t know if you think that war isn’t the only answer, but if I can change, so can you. Together, we stand…”

“And in pieces we shall fall.” Skull Man reached for a bright red button on his wrist and pressed it. What shortly followed was the skeletal robot exploding, waking up the knocked out robot masters and sending them into the horizon as Mega Man gets knocked back hard.

But Mega Man didn’t fall. He backed up further as the explosion continued, protecting Dr. Light and Rush in the process. Soon, the explosion died down, and what remained was all of Skull Man’s parts, except for the head…

“That might’ve been a bit too close for comfort… are you guys alright?” Asked Mega Man, before he saw his father look down. “Son… I’m sorry…”

“I know about the Hard Age now, Dad. It’s alright.”

“Please keep in mind, the robot masters are zealots. Don’t let their words pollute your mind.”

“Everything will be alright. The city is safe… because of us…”

Both of them soon started to bond until an orange and yellow bolt struck the ground. And before them stood Daini, all polished up and flowing with electrical energy.

“And because of me, this war is just getting started.”

**Author's Note:**

> Regarding the ending of the third issue of the comics, this is what inspired me to do this before writing my fanfic covering the events after the comics. That fanfic will connect to this one, not the official comics. And the issue 4 preview that was posted yesterday... nice to know that I called it.


End file.
